It's All Been Done

The third of three thematically related posts (woo hoo hoo)

Following on from last week’s celebration of New Edition, this week’s post continues the high energy and infectious grooves with…

Barenaked Ladies?

Is that right? (Editor’s note: yes, that’s right.)

Wait, when did I get an editor?

(It’s a literary conceit. You’re pretending to be successful enough to hire an editor. Just go with it.)

Anyway, this post is an overview of what I believe to be the top ten Barenaked Ladies songs of all time. If you’re not familiar, let me sum up in five words: quirky Canadian pop folk rock. Also, where were you in 1998? They were everywhere. A slightly longer history:

The band began as the duo of Steven Page (vocals, guitar) and Ed Robertson (guitar, vocals) in 1988, adding Andy Creegan (percussion) and Jim Creegan (bass) in December of 1989. Andy took a hiatus in 1990, and Tyler Stewart joined in his place. In 1991, Andy rejoined, switching primarily to keyboards while Tyler remained on percussion.

Their first Canadian hit was a cover of Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” in the fall of 1991. The name “Barenaked Ladies” provoked controversy when they were booked for a New Year’s Eve concert in Toronto, and they rode the media coverage to 100,000 sales of their first self-produced album The Yellow Tape.

In 1992, their success led to signing with Sire Records after several years of being rejected by every major label (and many minor ones). Gordon was released in June (thirty years ago! My God, we’re old!) to widespread acclaim. An attempt was made to infiltrate the US market, which was less than successful. BNL’s second major label album Maybe You Should Drive came out in 1994, to muted response. Andy Creegan left the band shortly afterwards, and the remaining members were struggling to continue.

Born on a Pirate Ship was released in 1996, doing better than MYSD but not as well as Gordon. While on tour, the band (now including touring keyboardist and backing vocalist Kevin Hearn) recorded a live album entitled Rock Spectacle which produced their first gold record in the US with “Brian Wilson”. This achievement led BNL to make a concerted effort to break into the market a gain a more lasting foothold.

Stunt was a massive hit in 1998, spawning four charting single including the worldwide hit “One Week”. (Spoiler alert: it’s not on this list.) BNL’s success was tempered by Kevin’s diagnosis with leukemia, which prevented him from participating in most of the ensuing tour.

Maroon followed in 2000, with Kevin now a full member of the band. The lead single “Pinch Me” was a minor hit (and also not on this list), but the album did not have the impact of Stunt. After a year’s hiatus, Everything to Everyone came out in 2003, fulfilling their contract with Sire. The album was poorly received, commercially if not critically, and they embarked on an independent path for the next several years, releasing several unremarkable EPs and albums. 2007 saw BNL record the theme song for “The Big Bang Theory”, a CBS sitcom. (Also not on this list. You’re welcome.)

In 2008, Steven Page was arrested for cocaine possession and left the band “by mutual consent” in early 2009. Ed took over lead vocals on a permanent basis, and his role as supporting vocalist was filled in part by Tyler. Steven continues to take semi-veiled shots at the other band members through the media to this day. Many of his arguments concern money. Such is life.

Nothing interesting happened until 2017, when the band collaborated with the Persuasions to release an album of a cappella style reworkings of some of their songs. It’s good if you like that sort of thing.

Now, onto the rundown":

10. Another Postcard

The lead single from Everything to Everyone, widely seen as an attempt to match the stylings of “Pinch Me” from Maroon and “One Week” from Stunt. It didn’t work commercially. Fans didn’t like it much, either. It’s not a terrible song, but it is derivative.

On the media tour, BNL hit all the usual spots, including this performance from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”:

9. Shoe Box

This song from BOAPS was featured on the “Friends” soundtrack, prompting its release in the US as an extended single. I own this on cassette, because I am very old. The video features accused sexual predator Chris Hardwick in one of his first notable appearances. (Nerdist did their own investigation and exonerated him. That makes it okay, right?)

Around the same time of the video, the band made an appearance on “The Weird Al Show”, Al Yankovic’s Saturday morning comedy show for CBS.

8. Brian Wilson

There are at least five separate versions of this song, but the most prominent version in Canada comes from Gordon, as does the above video. The song focuses on the Dr. Landy period of Brian Wilson’s life, where Brian’s mental health was at it’s lowest point.

Normally, I try to include a live version of each song, but instead of putting one of the many live performances they’ve recorded, I decided to throw this up there instead, from 2000:

7. What A Good Boy

The sixth(!) single from Gordon, “What A Good Boy” is a melancholy meditation on gender roles (and potentially gender dysphoria, depending on your interpretation). The singles from Gordon steadily increased in sadness, starting with the effervescent “Be My Yoko Ono” and ending in the frankly depressing song above.

There is allegedly a live version featuring Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas, but I wouldn’t do that to you, dear reader. Instead, have this performance from one of their pay-per-view concerts in New York.

6. Falling For The First Time

The third single from Maroon, and the first on this list that features Ed exclusively on lead vocals. Every review of the song features the word “shimmering”, so I’ll include it here. Chorus pedals are great, y’all. The guitar work for the band gets overlooked, but the production really highlights their skill, especially on the later major label albums.

Ed’s shirt in this live version is hideous, though. No saving that.

5. These Apples

The first non-single on the list, “These Apples” is a favorite B-side that first appeared on Maybe You Should Drive, but I used the live version from Rock Spectacle as it highlights the breakdown in the middle. Another Ed song, it is a continuation of the semi-rap that has been a highlight(?) of their live shows since their inception.

Here’s a live version from a Long & McQuade store in Toronto in 2014.

4. When I Fall

On Gordon, nearly every song was written as a collaboration between Ed and Steven. On Maybe You Should Drive, though, they separated their process and wrote independently. Born on a Pirate Ship is a return to cowriting, though, and “When I Fall” is a great example of that ethos. Built on intricate and delicate harmonies, it may be their finest vocal performance.

That’s why I chose this version featuring the Persuasions as a highlight, since they more than make up for Steven’s absence. They do less to jeopardize any endorsement deals, at the very least.

3. The Old Apartment

BNL’s first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 came as a result of this song, and the video directed by BNL superfan Jason Priestly certainly helped. He also arranged for the band to perform on “Beverly Hills 90210”, beginning their streak of odd television appearances (including “King of the Hill”, “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place”, and their own pilot for a variety show that went nowhere).

Live versions of the song tend to be more aggressive than the album version, as the song is one of the relative few straight-ahead rockers.

2. Too Little Too Late

The second single from Maroon, I personally guarantee that this song’s opening guitar riff will be stuck in your head for days after listening. The video is one of those “making of the video” videos. Metanarratives: not even once.

Live versions avoid the whole high-concept conceit, so here’s one for good measure.

1. It’s All Been Done

Shot in Andrew Dice Clay’s house, neither Ed nor Steven particularly like the video. The song, though, is impeccable. It’s been twenty-five years, though, and I’m still certain I can kill this song at karaoke. (No, this is not an invitation to drag me to karaoke. No one wants that.) It’s their best song. I’ll fight you on this one.

Here’s a live version from our friends at Conan, who seemingly feature more of the artists on this page than any other show. I blame Lisa Loeb’s husband. (Callback!)

BONUS: Full Concert

Here’s an entire concert from BNL from 2001. There are only a handful of songs on this list newer than that, so you’re not missing much. (Rollerball fans, come and get your whoopin.)